Love is Only a Feeling
by s0undasleep
Summary: Hwang x Mina Back in action after a hiatus! Can Hwang and Mina survive each other to realise that they are a match made in heaven?
1. Prologue

**AN: I've finally come out of hiding. This time, not a one-shot, but it will actually have chapters. Reviews are more than welcome. Well then, let's go!**

_Love is only a feeling_

Prologue

"How long does it take to make someone fall in love with another person?" Seung Han Myung mused as he downed a small cup of _soju_, the traditional Korean wine.

Hwang held up the vial of fermented rice wine respectfully to his teacher, and the older man let him pour him another cup. "Pardon my insolence teacher, but… I have always thought love cannot be controlled by man. It is a sort of emotion that comes from the heart. Or so I heard."

"You might think you know much because you are well-traveled, Hwang. But to me, all these westernized, this so-called 'love' is just rubbish. I am surprised your opinions are marred by these thoughts as well."

Hwang was taken aback by his teacher's harsh choice of words. True, before he had traveled the world, there was virtually no concept of the word 'love'. People in Korea had been accustomed to marrying only to fulfill their parents' wishes, to carry on the family line, but hardly ever out of their own will, much less of love. However, traveling to places outside of Korea had opened his eyes to what they called 'marrying for love'. He could never really understand 'love' – it would forever remain a foreign word in his vocabulary. However, Mina seemed to have no problem understanding that, for she had taken an aversion to the proposals eligible men had made in her favor, in the name of not feeling any 'love'. It was no surprise that her father had taken to such a dislike the word 'love'.

"Well…" Hwang's voice trailed off to nowhere. He did not really know what to say.

"I have a plan. I want to make Mina fall in love with you."

A hollow silence permeated the air around the two men. Hwang couldn't help but look up in shock. This was the second time he had been rattled to his senses today, and it had barely been noon. He had no idea what the expression on his face had looked like, but Hwang had a feeling it must have been very comical. Han Myung couldn't help but let out a series loud guffaws. Hwang did not feel the least bit better after hearing that – he was sure his teacher had gone mad. "Relax, boy! You look like I've just asked you to kiss a toad!"

"It is really not a good idea to joke about the topic like this, Teacher," Hwang angled his eyes towards the ground so that he would not have to face the fixated stare that his teacher was sending him.

"You know Hwang, there's a reason why I like you so much," Han Myung had the uncontrollable habit of speaking exactly what was on his mind when he was slightly tipsy. And no wonder. Hwang made an attempt to hide the frantic look on his face as he realized the _soju_ bottle had miraculously emptied itself. But then again, he usually held his liquor well… "I like your strength, discipline… and because you remind me so much of myself."

"Teacher, perhaps it's time to get some rest. We can always catch up tomorrow…"

"No, I must ask you this before today." He stared straight into Hwang's eyes, as if reading him from the inside out. "Are you willing to take Mina as your wife?" At this moment he looked perfectly sober; Hwang could look away no longer. Then, as though prompting the answer out of him, he added as an afterthought. "That is all that matters."

Hwang hesitated. He remembered Mina's hostility well, from her taunts to her incomparable sparring skills… but most of all, her uncanny ability to make him weak in the knees. He knew plain well how much she disliked him; sometimes so much he forgot how much he liked her. Now that his teacher is making a proposal he can't refuse, he couldn't think of the right words to say without sounding like he had been waiting for this moment all his life.

"I am honored that teacher holds me in such high regard," he tried to sound as somber as possible. "I am more than willing to have Mina as my wife."

End notes: Well then, should I continue:-)


	2. Chapter1: Made in Heaven

**Love is Only a Feeling**

Chapter 1 – Made in Heaven

_It's just another phase that I'll go through_

"This is… I can't believe it! This is certainly a match made in heaven!" The old woman exclaimed, tears visibly welling up in her eyes. All the while, the matchmaker was gesticulating energetically. "In all my years as a matchmaker, I have not yet come across such perfection among imperfection."

Han Myung concluded that either the woman was overly emotional, or she was exaggerating things. In either case, the result had turned out to be in accordance with his plan, so he didn't bother much about her reaction. He had gambled, and won, so to say, by taking it into his own hands that Hwang would be with Mina. He took a small sip of his tea and pondered the words for a minute, his gaze settling on a shadow near the corner of the door. "Now, what do you mean by 'perfection in imperfection'?"

"Of course, the layman wouldn't consider the two of them to be compatible, especially in terms of age! But after looking at their birth characters and consulting the almanac, those two couldn't have been a more perfect match!"

"So… this is a wise pairing?" his gaze focused on the shadow. He knew, of course that it was his daughter at that very spot, listening to every word that had been uttered in the room. He wasn't angry. On the contrary, he thought it was better to let her find this out for herself; he couldn't imagine the inevitable ruckus that would ensue if he had kept something so big from her.

"Absolutely." The matchmaker looked very pleased with herself, her crinkled face beaming.

"Thank you for your time, Matchmaker. Let me see you to the door." He watched in half amusement as the shadow scuttled to move away as fast as it could.

It seemed she wasn't fast enough though. Before she could disappear round the corner, her father's stern holler of her name had carried through. "Matchmaker, I would have liked to wait for the next meeting before introducing my daughter to you but since it is such a coincidence…" Mina flushed a deep shade of pink. Was it her imagination, or had her father emphasized the last word a little too harshly?

Mina smiled and bowed deeply, just as she was expected to do, all the while plainly avoiding her father's direction.

"My, what a pretty young woman! You must be Seung Mina," Mina was acutely aware that the matchmaker used the word "woman" instead of "girl", and felt that she should probably not be that mean to her. After all, she was just an innocent old lady.

If it was even possible, the matchmaker's smile got wider. Mina smiled in return. It was heartening to know that the old lady's only source of happiness lay in finding happiness for young people. However, when the object of discussion was her… she won't be too sure about that. The old lady turned to face Han Myung. "Whoever that young man is, he is very lucky. A lucky man indeed…"

Han Myung scantly turned towards Mina. "In my study, now," he muttered, before saying in a loud voice to the matchmaker: "You better get going, Matchmaker, before you are late for your next appointment!"

As Han Myung saw the old lady to the door, Mina trudged back to her father's empty study. Of course it was inevitable. She stopped to let herself entertain a fleeting thought: perhaps it was time to stop trying to run away from marriage. Most girls her age in the village had got married some time in the past two years or so, and some had even had children of their own. However, when she tried to picture her life solely revolving another man, she felt increasingly repulsed, and decided against ever entertaining such a thought again.

It wasn't long before Han Myung returned to the study. Mina waited until he was seated comfortably at his desk before asking, "Who is it you're trying to sell me off to this time, father?" The words flew out of her mouth before she could stop it; she kicked herself for talking through her hat again. It sounded rude even to her, and she muttered a quick apology. However, she kept her eyes trained on him, waiting expectantly for the answer to her question. It had happened before, but as luck would have it, the previous matchmakers coming into the house had nothing good to say about her prospective husbands. This time it was different. A "match made in heaven", did she say?

He heaved a heavy sigh. "I've arranged for the matchmaker to come again Friday afternoon. When we will finalize the details of the wedding. Don't be late." He made no attempt to answer any more. Mina realized that his answer meant that the groom would be there, and then she would be able to get the answer to her question.

**AN: Where did all the Hwang Mina fans go?  
Hope this wasn't too badly written! Hehe**


	3. Chapter2: Dignity

**Love is Only a Feeling**

Chapter 2 - Dignity  
_For your sake_

The three friends sat across Hwang at the local teahouse. Their eyes bore into him, but he refused to meet their gaze. _I can't believe I'm doing this_, he thought for the umpteenth time.

"Look, Hwang, you sounded so urgent in the letter, we threw aside everything to come over," Kilik began impatiently. "And now you won't so much as utter a word."

"Yeah, you think we have too much time on our hands?" Maxi sneered almost threateningly. In a moment however, he was distracted by a fairly attractive woman walking past their table.

"Did something happen to Mina? Or did she run away again…" Xianghua burst out suddenly. She had momentarily stopped wringing her hands, preferring instead to look expectantly at Hwang for an answer. "Just say it. We – we're prepared to help."

Hwang straightened himself slowly. The past ten minutes he had rephrased the question he had in mind at least fifty times, but none of them sounded better than the last. Slowly, he let the words out: "I would like to ask of a favor from all of you, since you were once her companions."

Xianghua relaxed at once. Kilik broke into a wide grin, while Maxi's sneer was replaced by a curious smirk.

"You needn't be so uptight about that, man," Kilik gave Hwang a firm pat on the shoulder. "With your serious face, we thought something terrible had happened!"

"Yeah well…" Hwang wished Kilik would stop doing that – giving him unnecessary pats, as though they were best of friends. In fact, Hwang still subconsciously bore a grudge against the trio, for aiding Mina in her escape from home, even though that had been years ago. He was here today with a clear objective – to get them roped in as part of the plan that his teacher had in mind. After a grueling half hour, he managed to explain to them the plan in detail. Maxi and Kilik looked interested, if not eager to help. Xianghua however, had a shadow of doubt cast across her face.

"I don't know… should we be deceiving her like this?" she gave Hwang an apologetic look. "I don't mean to say that you're not good enough for her or anything…" she added hastily.

"Xianghua, we're doing your friend a favor here!" Maxi exclaimed. "At the end of it all, she'd be most grateful to us – her friends who helped her find happiness!" Hwang thought his line of persuasion was a little on the dramatic side, but Xianghua seemed to falter slightly.

"Yeah Xiang, we've found our happiness…" Kilik turned a light shade of pink. "We should help her find hers."

"But…" Xianghua looked even more perplexed than before, though Hwang could see that she too was a faint hue of pink.

"Look, just cut the crap if you're not interested in this alright?" Hwang said quietly, his fists balled up in a tight bunch. He knew he shouldn't be losing his temper, especially not when he was asking for a favor. Couldn't they appreciate the fact that he was throwing whatever dignity he had left to ask them of a favor, instead of airing their opinions as though he was invisible? Almost immediately after he had said that he wished he hadn't. Now there was no chance that they would agree to the deal, and he had to admit, he wasn't acting particularly friendly to them.

"Cool it, dude," Maxi scowled.

The three of them huddled together in hushed whispers, and occasionally, one of them would dart their eyes towards him, all the while whispering ceaselessly.

That one minute felt like days.

* * *

_I'll weasel my way out of this. Just like every other time, right_? Mina thought to herself calmly. As usual, she would make a racket and possibly scare the man away for ever. Ha! _That'd show them to mess with me_.

The afternoon sun shone high and bright. Mina strolled across the courtyard in a yellow and red _hanbok_, feeling unusually optimistic about the day. The warmth of the summer sun on her skin felt like no other. Summer was her favorite season; she would certainly not miss the harsh winters that plagued her land at the end of every year.

Mina knocked on the door of her father's study. She could hear the muffled whisperings of the people already inside fall silent, then the sound of footsteps nearing.

"Father," she greeted him cheerfully as he opened the door. Over her father's shoulders she could see the matchmaker and the back of the man in question. He was fairly large, with short, spiky hair. From under his vest, what looked like a tattoo – she gasped – peeked out.

There was only one person she knew who had such a unique tattoo. He stood up.

"I'm sure you have met before," her father's words barely registered. Mina could not see her father's brief smirk. She could only stare hard, knowing deep down but not confirming if that man was indeed…

"Hwang."

* * *

AN: I tried to make it longer! I really did! But I can't because well it would disrupt the flow of the story! But I promise to update more often! Thanks to everyone who reviewed! 


	4. Chapter3: Kiss Goodbye

**Love is only a feeling**

Chapter 3 – Kiss Goodbye

_Some things never change_

The confidence she possessed just seconds ago vanished. Of all people! She took turns to glare at the three people in the room, her gaze settling longer than usual on Hwang. It had been a long time since she'd seen him since he left for the Coastal Defence Force. But she never imagined their next meeting to be like this. For a long while, nobody spoke.

Impossible. Not him. She had to wake up from this dream soon.

"I hope you're not thinking of doing anything stupid." Han Myung warned, breaking the awkward silence. "Just to let you know, it is a privilege that you get to see your husband before the marriage ceremony. Most people only ever get the first look at their spouse on the wedding night."

"I know," she said through gritted teeth. Think, Mina. Her original plan would never work in such a situation. She had had more than a few bad experiences with Hwang – he'd been the unfortunate witness to many of her tantrums before. And besides, she knew Hwang would rather die than to defy her father's wishes.

"Now sit," he gestured beside Hwang, the familiar crease on his forehead undoubtedly meaning he was in a no-nonsense mood. "While we shall discuss the details of the wedding."

But Mina didn't want to discuss the details of the wedding. She looked purposefully away from the discussion most of the time, occasionally glancing at Hwang, who seemed to be extremely preoccupied with the specks of dust on the table. _So it's not only me who's not interested_, she thought triumphantly. That thought somehow comforted her a little, though she was still determined to get her way. She started fidgeting just a little at first, but by the middle of the discussion her father had shot her a warning look that did little to stop her distracting movements. There were just so many things happening now, and the last thing she wanted to do is to sit down and not be able to clarify anything.

"Hwang, won't you take Mina out for a walk?" Han Myung said finally.

"But Father!" Mina protested as realistically as she could.

"Sure," Hwang replied. Mina scoffed and stormed out of the room. Hwang followed closely, and found her waiting for him in the corridor, some distance away from the closed doors of the study.

"You," she turned to face him, her eyes bore deep into his. Her accusatory tone was quiet but menacing. "You knew about this didn't you? I'm sure Father planned it a long time ago!"

"Yes, I did know," his voice did not falter, much to her disappointment. Neither did he take his gaze off her. However, a thin sheen of sweat had formed on Hwang's forehead by now, and it glistened under the sun.

"I suppose," Mina started. The first few shards of the sabotage plans had just surfaced in her mind. Hwang looked genuinely surprised that she had even bothered to continue the conversation. "You just came back?"

"I came back last month," Hwang proceeded carefully. He knew how much Mina had wanted to be in the Coastal Defence Force. The last thing he wanted was Mina flaring up again. "How have you been?"

Mina hesitated. The past few months were mundane at best, torturous at worst. Her everyday routine revolved around training, eating and making herself useful around the house; a far cry from the days where she used to spend days on end doing nothing. There was no news about the Soul Edge or Soul Calibur at all, much to her dismay.

"Well, I've been squandering Father's money, messing up the house and," she added in a low whisper, "planning my next escape, tomorrow night."

Mina fought hard to keep the expression on her face still; all Hwang could see was her willful smirk. His expression was a curious mixture of horror and shock – this was going just as she had planned. He had bought her tall story.

"How could you!" Hwang's furious voice barely rising before Mina's shrill voice cut his words short.

"How could you even believe for a second that that was true?" she demanded, eyes narrowed and arms folded tight across her chest. "I thought after everything we went through together, I might have changed your mind in believing that I am no longer a selfish brat!"

"What…?" Hwang growled. The deep shade of purple never left his face, although Mina noticed what seemed like a guilty expression in his eyes, which he chose to focus on the ground.

"Trust, Hwang," she said softly. "Trust you to actually…" Mina eyed his balled up fists cautiously. "What's this? You want to hit me now?"

"No –"

"I can't imagine what we'd be like if we do get married. This would never work out in a million years." Mina promptly turned on her heels and left the gaping man in her wake.

_I might never make Father change his mind, but I can certainly make you beat a hasty retreat forever. _

**AN: If there are any mistakes with the technical details of the story, I apologize in advance. I am just a normal girl with an average general knowledge capacity. Anyway, I'm back:) I promised to update in May, and here it is!**


	5. Chapter4: Summer

**Love is only a feeling**

Chapter 4 – Reunion

_Come whatever, we will still be friends forever_

"A love potion? You can't be serious!" Xianghua and Kilik stopped short in their tracks, while Maxi continued to hum a tune, totally oblivious to their shock. The trio were on their way to the Seung residence when Maxi revealed that he had a 'secret weapon' to make their job easier.

"What? Haven't I showed you guys before?" Maxi chuckled, mildly surprised. "Oh well, it's no big deal. I've used this so many times before, and I can assure you, it _always_ works." He dug around his numerous pockets in his vest and then the pockets in his pants, finally fishing out a tiny glass bottle about a third filled with a pinkish liquid.

"Not much left, but definitely enough to make many fall madly in love!" he declared triumphantly.

"And how can you be sure it 'always' works?" Kilik glared suspiciously at his companion, his arms folded, grim expression showing no sign of weakness.

"Kilik, my mate! Why are you looking at me like that?" Maxi asked, a look of mock horror on his face. However, even as he said that, a thin layer of sweat was fast forming on his forehead.

Kilik did not utter a word, but continued to stare in half amusement at Maxi's flustering. Xianghua merely listened intently, obviously not clued in on what Kilik had in mind.

"Okay," Maxi began slowly. "I admit I did use it on… the two of you… once or twice, just to try it out…"

"Maxi!" Xianghua gasped.

"Hear me out!" Maxi pleaded, as Kilik's eyes narrowed dangerously. "It was ages ago! I've never used it on the two of you since! Just twice, at most, I swear! And… and the potion merely speeds up the process of falling in love; it doesn't simply _make _people fall in love…"

"When was the first time you used that… that thing on us?" Kilik demanded, pointing at the bottle which Maxi had been clinging on to like treasure. The menace in his eyes had vanished by now. Maxi sighed in relief – honesty almost always worked on Kilik, and he always had a way to make people tell the truth.

"Two summers ago," Maxi gulped, an embarrassed flush appearing on his face. To his surprise, Kilik's cheeks too, turned a shade of pink similar to the love potion.

"Isn't that the time when we first…" Xianghua began innocently.

"Let's go, Xiang," Kilik took her hand hurriedly and marched off, leaving a bewildered Maxi in their wake. "I'll deal with you later, Maxi!" he huffed over his shoulder.

"Hey, wait up guys!"

Mina woke up especially happy that day. She could not help but to hum a cheery tune as she got dressed to go for breakfast at the dining room. With a light spring in her steps, she was even unfazed when she saw Hwang already present with her father.

"Good morning everybody!" she skipped into the room and helped herself to the selection of buns on the table. Judging by the placid expression on her father's face, she'd reckoned Hwang hadn't told him about the slight outburst she had yesterday. She smirked at Hwang, who rightly chose to ignore her. No matter, she thought. I haven't showed him my real prowess yet. She was going to succeed, and by then Hwang would be begging to run off to join the Force for good.

In fact, she was so sure that this day would turn out good that she wasn't at all surprised when the servant informed her that she had guests. What she had missed though, was the knowing nod that was exchanged between the teacher and student.

"They're here!" Han Myung bellowed suddenly, rising from the dining table to welcome his guests.

"Xianghua! I didn't expect it would be you!" Mina squealed in excitement as she drew the petite girl into a tight embrace. "Kilik, Maxi! What brings you here?"

"Erm," Kilik looked at Maxi exasperatedly for help, but Mina did not press them for an answer.

"So how long will you all be staying? Two months at least?" she asked expectantly.

"We only have the luxury of two weeks to carry out the plan, girl," Maxi muttered under his breath.

"Did you say two weeks, Maxi?" she frowned.

"Of course we'd be staying for more than two weeks," Kilik said smoothly, at the same time jabbing Maxi in the back, causing him to howl silently. "Maxi was just wondering if your father would be displeased that we are imposing on him in this manner."

"Oh, that," she mused. "Good point."

Just then, Xianghua nudged the other two men. "Good Morning, Mina's Father," the trio chorused. Mina would have laughed out loud, if not for the fact that her father was standing directly behind her.

"I believe this is the first time you are meeting my father," Mina introduced. She hoped her father would not reprimand them for barging into the house in the middle of breakfast, or even for something minor like the fact that they were with her when she ran away from home a few years back.

"Mina's friends, yes?" he chortled kindly. "Please, stay for as long as you feel comfortable. I hope this place is not too shoddy for your liking."

"Are you kidding? This place is huge!" Maxi exclaimed.

"We're sorry to impose on you, Mina's Father," Xianghua added shyly.

"Make yourselves at home," Han Myung winked at them before exiting the hall.

**AN: Sorry for the delay. Please do give comments on how I can take this to a higher level? I feel like I'm going around in circles. (of course, I wouldn't feel too bad either if you say it's good!) **


	6. Chapter5: Slippin Through My Fingers

**Love is only a feeling**

Chapter 5 - Slippin' Through My Fingers

_Now she's gone, I'm sleepin with the lights on_

"Say, isn't Hwang supposed to be staying at your place, Mina?" Kilik put up his best tone of indifference, at the same time glancing at the girl out of the corner of his eye.

Mina decided she wasn't going to let a loose comment spoil her resolution of not mentioning Hwang on this happy day, so she feigned ignorance as she brought her friends to their rooms. That, she realized, is the best way of escaping an awkward situation. "Here is your room, guys," she motioned to the room they were standing in front of. "Xianghua bunks in with me!" she grinned.

"But, why?" Kilik's voice sounded suspiciously like a whine. "I want to bunk in with Xianghua!"

"No!" Mina, Xianghua and Maxi shouted in unison, and Kilik collapsed into a heap of guffaws. Maxi dragged Kilik by the collar into their room while the girls could only shake their heads in despair.

* * *

"How exactly," Kilik eyed his excitable friend cautiously. "Does this potion thing need to be executed for it to work?" 

"Let's see. So far I only tried one method, and it works fine…" Maxi's voice faltered as Kilik bore his angry eyes into his again. "They need to take one drop of this potion in the presence of each other for as many days as it takes to make them realize they are meant for each other!" he winked smugly. "And, it works best on unsuspecting victims."

"Fine. Just do it tomorrow then." Kilik didn't look at all impressed. "I need to sleep. I'm bushed."

"Mate, we still have to figure out how to feed this to them!" Maxi swung the potion violently in front of Kilik's face. But he seemed to be more asleep rather than awake.

"Feed… don't use that word," Kilik mumbled in a stare of grogginess. "Just use the same way as you fed it to us." Maxi studied his face carefully, and was relieved to find no sign that Kilik was aware of what he was saying – or any sign that he bore a grudge against using the potion against him.

"That's not the point!" Maxi pranced around exasperatedly. "Look I'm really sorry about that time! It was fun on my part so stop harping over it already!"

"As you wish," Kilik rolled over to his side and promptly fell asleep on his bed.

"Looks like I have to brave the dangers alone…" Maxi stared at the bottle in hand, a resolute expression on his face.

* * *

Hwang knocked on the door. He could hear muffled giggles and whispers from the girls' room, and waited impatiently, tapping his foot on the floor. Things just got busier as the date of the wedding drew closer. Even with the help of Maxi, Xianghua and Kilik, things barely got done as quickly as would please his teacher. 

"Yes?" a smiling Xianghua swung the door half open. "Oh, it's you." Her expression changed to one of pure amusement, giving him a knowing wink and then promptly closing the door again.

After what seemed like fifteen minutes, the door opened again. This time it was Mina, wearing a pink hanbok and a scowl. It didn't take a genius to figure out that going out with him was the last thing she wanted to do. "Have fun," Xianghua mouthed behind Mina, at the same time waving them goodbye.

Oh no, not a foul mood. Hwang sorely remembered what happened between them last week, and he was determined not to let that happen again. They had managed to avoid each other all week; she was too busy having fun and attending to her friends to care about the wedding at all. Maybe his Teacher's idea wasn't that brilliant after all. Hwang could feel the dreadful feeling in the pit of his stomach every time he thought of Mina coming back. He cast a sideward glance at her: she was – deliberately or not – looking far ahead, arms crossed and sulk in place. The setting sun cast a soft orange glow on her face, and the light bounced off the silvery material of her dress, so it shimmered like an angel's.

"Why are you staring at me?" she demanded. She narrowed her eyes and slowed down to a halt. "You better not be thinking of doing anything funny."

Yes, beautiful. But… not like this.

Hwang stifled a laugh. Facing forward so his expression wouldn't betray him, he called out behind him "I was just wondering… why you wore pink. This is a first."

He walked a few paces but there was no reply. Exasperated, he turned around.

The girl stood rooted at the same spot.

"Alright, nobody will do anything funny to you," Hwang shook his head, arms raised in defeat. "I'm not even sure if anyone wants to," he muttered under his breath.

"What did you just say?" He thought he heard a quiver in her voice.

What, she could hear him? The cocky expression was wiped from his face, replaced in a split second with a pained expression. He took a step forward, but didn't know what to say. For the next ten seconds, time seemed to go in slow motion. First, the near invisible tears made its presence known. Then, her treacherous look that stung him like a bucket of cold water sloshed over.

She didn't even say a word. Before Hwang could react any further, she turned onto her heels and ran, faster than he had ever imagined.

_I lost. This time, I lost it. _


	7. Chapter6: Banter

Love is only a feeling

Chapter 6

_I lost. This time, I lost it._

She couldn't hear Hwang behind her. Against her will, she looked behind, and immediately she wished she hadn't. She slowed down to a trudge.

So he didn't follow her.

"Big deal!" she yelled to nobody. The trees rustled in response – or so she thought, before she actually felt the cold wind on her face. Before she knew it, she had reached her home. It looked cold and empty from the outside at night, but a closer look revealed a few lighted rooms on the right wing of the manor. _Where my friends are._

Without considering even a moment longer than she should, she headed left – to the deserted well. That was also where the dojo was. In the morning, that was probably the liveliest part of the house, but now all the students had either gone home or were resting in their quarters at the back of the dojo, and it lay serene and peaceful.

Mina crossed the great hall, where she used to train everyday, rain or shine. On the left side of the hall stood the prizes she collected from her journeys – her weapons. All but one – the Zanbatoh – of the collection was kept here. The former was always beside her bed; it was a habit she found impossible to kick, not being able to fall asleep without knowing that she was well protected for.

She slowed down at the rack of weapons. One by one she ran her fingers down the side of the blades, feeling the cold metal on her fingers. Despite not polishing it for a week now, they felt smooth and new.

"Ouch," she bit her lip. One of the blades – the Halbard – had accidentally slid across her index finger, leaving a skin-deep cut and a generous amount of blood on her finger.

"Hey, sister," a perky male voice spoke behind her. His flaming red hair was easily noticeable even in those dimly lit conditions. Arms crossed in a relaxed stance, he was the epitome of what they call, laid back.

"Well, I don't remember ever having such a pesky brother," she laughed, feeling her mood improve already. She sucked on her bleeding finger briefly before crossing her arms, so that Yunsung would not be able to see anything. "What are you doing out of bed at such a late hour?"

"Speak for yourself," Yunsung scoffed. "You _adults_ always contradict yourselves."

Mina was rudely reminded of that tone. It was the exact same voice that she used to use on her father whenever he had reprimanded her in the past. Of course, she had to admit she was no longer that young herself. "And since when am I more of an adult than you are?"

"Well you're obviously old enough to get married," Yunsung laughed an evil laugh and didn't stop until Mina's eyes couldn't get any narrower. "And to an old fogey who doesn't appreciate you!" After so many years, it seemed like Yunsung's dislike for Hwang did not diminish one bit.

_He's not an old fogey_, Mina found herself thinking, although she agreed with Yunsung wholeheartedly, on the appreciation bit. "It's not like I had a choice," Mina sighed. "Unlike someone, who actually has a choice of marrying his girlfriend…"

Yunsung's ears turned a shade darker than his hair.

"So I was right! Who's the unlucky girl?" Mina probed, the curl on the sides of her mouth widening to become a smile. Right now, Hwang was the furthest thing on her mind.

"It's none of your business," Yunsung snapped.

"When are you bringing her home?" Mina asked.

Yunsung groaned. "You're such a nag! I will soon, alright?"

Mina smirked. "You said it. Now go to bed!"

"Oh, and _sister_," Yunsung said just as he was about to exit the hall. "If you ever decide NOT to marry that git of a fiancée, just remember I'll always be single and available for you, alright!" He winked, and with that, he disappeared around the corner.

"Right." She mumbled to herself. _At least someone here appreciates me_. She never told Yunsung what happened, but he never failed to make her feel better, all the same.

**AN: As usual, sorry for the delay. I won't make up excuses but I _was_ having a major exam. But overall I'm pleased with this chapter. Please continue to support me! **


	8. Chapter7: Girls Boys

Love is only a feeling

**AN: Believe it or not, the exciting part's coming up soon. Do I always sound so cryptic? Good news is, no. **

Chapter 7

Just wanna have fun

Xianghua and Mina strolled along the dirt path leading towards the city. It was only a couple more days to Mina's wedding, and things were well on its way to being set in stone. Xianghua shot a sideward glance at the chirpy girl, who was humming a tune with her eyes half closed. It seemed that by now, Mina had more or less accepted the fact that she was going to be married, and she complained less nowadays. _Or could it be_, Xianghua couldn't help but think, _that Maxi's so-called love potion is actually working?_

Although the past few weeks had been spent with Mina most of the time, Xianghua did manage to catch up with the guys. The plan was going perfectly fine, with Maxi being the glutton of the trio, he was forgiven for constantly being the first to appear in the dining room, sometimes as early as half an hour before meals were served. It was then that he would execute his brilliant plans, although Xianghua was never really there to witness it.

"Say, you and Hwang seem to have really been getting along better nowadays huh?" Xianghua casually asked.

"It's just that we've just been getting less into each other's way, that's all," Mina laughed. "Seriously, I'm only taking things one step at a time here, enjoying life… while I can."

"I'm really puzzled sometimes… what is so bad about Hwang that you cannot accept?"

"Can't you see Xiang, we're just so different!" Mina exclaimed, as though Xianghua couldn't understand the simplest thing in the world. "For one, he's insensitive, bossy, and he's really just a chauvinistic pig underneath that charismatic face."

Xianghua giggled. "Well, that's true, but perhaps he's the strong, silent type? You know, those with a hidden side to them that he doesn't just show to anybody. Like… Prince Charming!"

Mina stuck out her tongue playfully. "Never!"

"And besides, he is so smitten with you! That is enough reason for you to be happy to marry him already!" Xianghua declared triumphantly. "Trust me Mina, it's always better to marry someone that loves you more than you love him…"

"Uh-huh…" Mina replied distractedly. After a whole hour of walking, they had finally reached the city. Streams of people could be seen shopping and eating at the many stalls that lined the streets. "Look Xiang, I might not exactly be Hwang's biggest fan, but I _do_ want to look like the most beautiful bride on my wedding day." Mina held Xianghua's hand and led the way into the sea of people ahead.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Xianghua grinned.

"Let's shop!"

Over the past few days, Hwang had been buzzing around the house with hardly any rest, and no wonder. Even though Kilik, Maxi and even the students at the dojo were helping with the odds and ends of the wedding, Hwang still felt strongly that he should undertake some of the details personally.

"Psst, Hwang,"

Hwang stopped in his tracks, and looked around to find Kilik and Maxi at the garden, sipping tea and munching on crackers. Maxi motioned for him to join them, and Hwang reluctantly kept the pieces of paper which he was pouring over previously.

"Everything's in place already – I know you must have at least checked that list thrice over already!" Maxi exclaimed, crunching loudly on a cracker while talking. "You should rest from now on and you will look like the groom that you always wanted to be on your wedding day."

"Yeah, Hwang, if there's anything that needs to be done, you can count on us to do complete the job," Kilik gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder.

"Thanks guys, but I just don't want anything to go wrong on that day…"

"So has Mina… er, warmed up to you yet?" Maxi asked, his inquiry sounding deliberately casual.

Hwang sighed. "Things will fall into place soon, I guess. Sometimes, I wonder if she can really hate me forever."

"No way! I've been observing all week now, she no longer scowls when she makes eye contact with you, and she sits _this_ much closer to you during dinnertime!" Maxi indicated the distance with his thumb and index finger – barely an inch apart.

"Wow Maxi, I didn't know you were so observant," Kilik noted with a tinge of sarcasm. "I thought you only know how to make this noise when you eat." He then proceeded to imitate Maxi by talking with his mouth full, and the trio burst out in guffaws.

"No but really, Maxi's right," Kilik wiped the tears of laughter from the corner of his eyes. "Mina really doesn't seem to dislike you that much now."

Well, now that they mentioned it, Mina does indeed seem to be more relaxed whenever they are in close proximity to each other… "In that case, it is cause for celebration then!" Hwang held up a teacup.

"Cheers!"


End file.
